By Samindra Kunti
January 10 – At last, the wait for the host nation is over. Cameroon kicked off the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament with more prize money than ever, with a dramatic 2-1 rearguard win over Burkina Faso in an enthralling opening game.
January 10 – Just weeks after hopes were raised of a new dawn when the club was purchased by a cash-rich Saudi-led consortium, albeit highly controversially, English sleeping giant Newcastle United are back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – on and off the pitch.
January 10 – Amnesty International is calling on the four clubs involved in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia this week to take a stand over women’s rights and equality issues.
January 10 – Brazilian giants Flamengo have renewed their sponsorship deal with sportswear giant Adidas until 2025 for a value of at least €10.7 million a year.
January 10 – In keeping with tradition, Lionel Messi is once again nominated in the final three of The Best FIFA Men’s Player awards. FIFA will probably keep nominating him when he retires.
January 10 – Online betting sponsorship is still holding its own in the sponsorship market with Betway announcing a two-year major partnership with French Ligue 2 side, Toulouse FC.
January 10 – Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel and Italy manager Roberto Mancini are on the shortlist for FIFA’s best men’s coach of the year with the winner to be announced on January 17.
January 10 – Pre-paid credit card specialists EML Payments has signed an exclusive sponsorship with AS Roma, its first step into the football sponsorship market.
January 10 – The fragility of the finances in the lower tier of the women’s professional game were demonstrated last week with the last-minute takeover of Coventry United Ladies, who play in the FA Women’s Championship.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 7 – A leading English parliamentarian has called on the UK and Republic of Ireland to abandon their interest in jointly staging the 2030 World Cup and instead focus on hosting the Euros two years earlier in 2028.
January 7 – Move over Neymar and Mbappe. Real Madrid and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior is the most valuable player in the world according to the latest player transfer valuations by the CIES Football Observatory.
January 7 – Ajax Amsterdam have abandoned their training camp in Portugal following an outbreak of coronavirus infections. They follow in the footstep of PSV, Feyenoord and a slate of Belgian clubs who decided to cancel their winter camps altogether.
January 7 – Top Iranian sides Iran sides Persepolis and Esteghlal have been kicked out of the Asian Champions League after having their licenses withdrawn by the Asian Football Confederation.
January 7 – After a drawn-out sales process, Crystal Palace co-owner David Blitzer and Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group have become the new owners of Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Real Salt Lake.
By Samindra Kunti
January 7 – Three years late and with the coronavirus crisis a major concern on the touchline, Cameroon will kick off the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil against Burkina Faso on Sunday. Defending champions Algeria and Senegal start as favourites to win the continental finals.